Advances in communications technology can rapidly change how people communicate and share information. For example, social networking sites now provide users to interact and keep others abreast of their personal and business dealings in an almost instantaneous manner. The growth of social networking sites is staggering. New sites are emerging daily and new users are joining in droves. Today, social networking sites are being used regularly by millions of people around the globe, and it seems that social networking via websites will continue to be a part of everyday life at least in the United States.
Some social networking sites provide functions in the form of Web applications for members to create user profiles, send messages to other members who are their “friends,” and personalize Web pages available to friends and/or the general public. Through these Web applications, social networking sites can connect people at low cost and very high efficiency. Some entrepreneurs and businesses looking to expand their contact base have recognized these benefits and are utilizing some social networking sites, perhaps in conjunction with other types of social media such as mobile apps, as a customer relationship management tool for selling their products and services. The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Consistent use of engagement on social networks can be core to building a successful business through social media.
Businesses and entities alike may want to embrace social networking sites as an additional method to exchange information between employees, clients, vendors, etc. To do so, they may need to ensure that content submitted by people associated with the entity meets certain rules and regulations. For example, they may be concerned with the kind of content may be posted, the extent to which information may be disclosed, to whom is the information being disclosed, how to prevent malicious or otherwise damaging material from being accessed or otherwise affecting enterprise computers. Perhaps one of the more difficult issues is whether and how a business can manage the activities of particular enterprise users (or groups thereof) to ensure that their contents posted to social networking sites meet compliance guidelines and applicable regulations.
Currently, there does not appear to be any viable solutions to address these important issues as businesses often do not have control over what users post onto social networking sites. At one end of a spectrum, some businesses may set up their firewalls to block traffic to and from social networking sites altogether, thereby avoiding having to monitor and/or enforce compliance of their employees. At the other end of the spectrum, some businesses may not block traffic to and from social networking sites at all and can only hope that their employees are only using these social networking sites in the best interest of the company. Some businesses may set up their firewalls to selectively allow traffic to and from certain social networking sites. However, there is no guarantee that the employees may police their own access to and participation at any social networking sites, and there is always the concern of an employee knowingly or unknowingly posting confidential information on a social networking site.
Highly regulated entities such as a securities firm may take the first approach mentioned above and do not allow their employees to use social networks. Alternatively, they may allow employees to post and then archive the posted content. This includes archiving all communications and post-reviewing all archived communications. These existing solutions do not ensure compliance of their users and may put the firm at risk of fines. Because of these risks and increases in workload, many businesses simply choose to deny their employees access to social networking sites and forgo the efficiencies and cooperative gains that may come from embracing social networking sites.